Clip the tee for better ball striking

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An easy drill

 

Fault: Inconsistent ball striking.

Fix: Try this simple little tip. It’s aimed mainly at beginners and higher handicappers – but it never does any harm for stronger players to remind themselves of the basics of the game. If you struggle to hit crisp iron shots, you have to learn how to strike the ball properly. By that I mean you’ve got to meet the ground with the sole of the club just after you’ve made contact with the ball – how you make the divot. When I’ve worked with club golfers lacking confidence in striking irons, I’d use this drill. Try it, because it doesn’t get much better than the feeling when you hit pure iron shots.

 

 1. Tee it high

 

 2. Now press it down

Clip the tee   Clip the tee

Push a tee into the ground so half-an-inch is showing above the turf. Swing the club, clipping the top of the tee with the sole. Then add a ball – you should still find yourself swinging freely as you are not focusing intensely on the ball.

 

After a few minutes clipping the tee at half-an-inch, push it right into the turf so it is just visible to the rear of the ball. Remember, you’re still focusing on striking the tee – even though the ball is there. If you want, you can start again without the ball.

     

 3. The result

   
Clip the tee  

Hitting the tee helps you groove the descending path you want into the back of the ball. It’s a very simple and cheap drill that takes the tension out of the arms and trains your brain to squeeze the ball between turf and clubface.

 

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